before replying. Then he said
lightly:

"Suppose Howard goes abroad for a few months with his father and
mother?"

"Is that the proposition?" she demanded.

The doctor nodded.

"I believe Mr. Jeffries has already spoken about it to his son," he
said.

Annie choked back a sob and, crossing the room to conceal her emotion,
stood with her back turned, looking out of the window. Her voice was
trembling as she said:

"He wants to separate us, I know. He'd give half his fortune to do it.
Perhaps he's not altogether wrong. Things do look pretty black for me,
don't they? Everybody believes that my going to see Underwood that night
had something to do with his suicide and led to my husband being falsely
accused. The police built up a fine romance about Mr. Underwood and
me--and the newspapers! Every other day a reporter comes and asks us
when the divorce is going to take place--and who is going to institute
the proceedings, Howard or me. If everybody would only mind their own
business and let us alone he might forget. Oh, I don't mean you, doctor.
You're my friend. You made short work of Captain Clinton and his
'confession.' I mean people--outsiders--strangers--who don't know us,
and don't care whether we're alive or dead; those are the people I
mean. They buy a one-cent paper and they think it gives them the right
to pry into every detail of our lives." She paused for a moment, and
then went, on: "So you think Howard is worrying? I think so, too. At
first I thought it was because of the letter Mr. Underwood wrote me, but
I guess it's what you say. His old friends won't have anything to do
with him and--he's lonely. Well, I'll talk it over with him----"

"Yes--talk it over with him."

"Did you promise his father you'd ask me?" she demanded.

"No--not exactly," he replied hesitatingly.

Annie looked at him frankly.

"Howard's a pretty good fellow to stand by me in the face of all that's
being said about my character, isn't he, doctor? And I'm not going to
stand in his light, even if it doesn't exactly make me the happiest
woman in the world, but don't let it trickle into your mind that I'm
doing it for his father's sake."

At that moment Howard entered from the inner room. He was surprised to
see Dr. Bernstein.

"How do you feel to-day?" asked the doctor.

"First rate! Oh, I'm all right. You see, I'm just going to eat a bite.
Won't you join us?"

He sat down at the table and picked up the newspaper, while An